


Velveteen Fracture

by Ciel_Leon



Series: Doorways to the Velvet Room [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akira has no idea whats going on, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cannon turned on its head, Cussing, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, He is also confusing, Igor is cryptic, M/M, Mentioned off-screen Murder, More tags to be added, No Beta, Non-Graphic Violence, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Sporadic Updates, Temporary Character Death, The Velvet Room (Persona Series), We Die Like Men, temporary major character death, velvet room attendant!akira
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-02 06:22:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15790767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ciel_Leon/pseuds/Ciel_Leon
Summary: Sometimes the universe is cruel, sometimes time moves too quickly or fate is replaced by luck.  Sometimes, you die before you can live.  Akira lives and dies before his fate comes to pass, but reality can be outlandish and fantastical no matter how cruel.Only one Wild Card can save the world now, but that doesn't mean they cant get aid from the strangest of people.AKA: Akira would like to know who Hooked Nose is and what he wants so  Akira can tell him to dance off naked into the sunset.  Akira Kurusu was murdered, he’s dead, so why exactly does he have to teach someone how to be a hero?  Heroes are always martyrs, and he wouldn't wish that fate on anyone.





	1. Entry

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the two Velvet Room Attendant!Akira AU's I've started writing. I have been siting on this fic (and six other P5 Fics) for a while now, and I just wanted to post it and see if anyone was interested in it. I'm going to try and keep turning out chapters for this fic as well as the others in this series, but I update sparadically since I can only write when I feel inspired to.
> 
> But anyways, I hope you enjoy, and I appreciate any and all feedback (comments, kudos, etc.).

_He’s only seven when he finds that crooked line of blue, and he didn't so much walk into it as he did Fall into it._

There is something dark in him that whispers along the edges of his consciousness.  It sees his parents and all he hears are quiet and derisive words that echo in his skull.

 _“Weak,_ ” it calls them, “ _foolish.  Dishonorable.  Disloyal. Sheep given human form.”_

At first he rallies against it, tries to think over those whispers in his mind until they are indistinguishable white noise, because his mother is kind, and his father teaches him so many different things-.

But slowly, ever so slowly, he stops drowning it out.  As he gets older, he simply forces himself to ignore it, and then, he starts to understand what it means.

He sees it in the little things- how now, his mother only asks him how school was and what his grades are, or the way his father will cancel that trip they decided to take two weeks ago because his boss called the night before the trip and asked him to come into work.  He sees it in the way that they both slowly but steadily spend more time at work, or go out with friends, or simply vanish until late at night.

Sometimes, he sees it in the way they talk.  In the way they speak about the news, simply agreeing with the majority (and if he asks their opinions, they give him non-answers). He sees it in the ways they contradict themselves, one week they will hate a political figure, a celebrity, or even someone in their neighborhood because of a rumour whispered in their ears, and then the next week, they'll act like that person is their favorite being in the world.

Its enough to give him whiplash.

And then, well, then they target him.

At first its negligible, but maybe, its because hes actually watching them that he notices it.  Notices it and starts listening to what the voice says.

They're simple things, digs about his lack of organizational or planning skills, about not having a girlfriend, or his hobbies He remembers the one comment that actually made him furious with them, an aggressive “Why are you _reading_ , don't you have better things to do, like get a job?!”.

That comment was the first time he agreed with that dark whisper ( _“Ignorant”)_. After all, he had finished his homework early, looked up a few places to apply for a job at the next day, and brought home a report card that was even better than last years.

Maybe that's why, when the stranger sues him for assault and his parents pretty much tell him to plead guilty and accept his punishment that he just- stops.  Considers his options, and decides that he’s done. Done with keeping his head down and being the obedient son, because his parents have abandoned him to a pack of wolves.

Maybe, that's why he tries to fight back in court- for all the good it does him.  The stranger suing him stays anonymous, the eye-witness lies, and the judge makes the choice to find him guilty of a crime he didn't commit.

Of course, that may also be why no one comes to his funeral.

* * *

 

His death is a painful, bloody thing that felt like it dragged on forever.

Being murdered can do that to a person.

The serial killer has been roaming around Japan for months now, the police closing in but not quick enough.  He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and its as his vision is turning black that he notices red and blue lights flashing out a nearby window and hopes, vaguely, that he will be the last victim.

He is dead before the officers break down the door.

* * *

 

“Ah, Akira, I had hoped that we would met much later, but perhaps this may work better.”

The voice is high and nasally, almost like someone speaking after breathing in helium- but he doesnt hurt, and there are worse things to wake up to.

Akira remembers the pain of his death with clarity, like struck crystal in a soundless room- even now he can feel the phantom sensation of a knife in his lungs, blood at the back of his throat and an inability to move.  It takes him a few precious moments to push those feelings away and concentrate on what's in front of him, to take a breath of air and be amazed at how it doesn't hurt- but his eyes catch sight of the speaker.

A large crooked nose, beady eyes under a dark unibrow, arms that are long and thin leading to hands tucked under a rounded chin and wisps of white hair cobwebbing down broad shoulders.

The stranger sits behind a large oak desk, and if the man's appearance wasn't enough to put Akira on edge, the weird blue mist that permeates the very air is off-putting enough.

Akira eyes the man warily, remaining silent.  He has no clue as to where he is, and if this was the after-life it was sorely lacking.

The old man behind the desk closes his eyes and sighs softly before meeting Akira's gaze.

“You have my sincerest apologies Akira, you may be dead however, it is not yet time for you to move on.  If you're willing, I would like to ask for your aid in an important matter.”

Akira’s gaze narrows, a stranger wanting something from him is already making him suspicious but-

“I understand if you don't wish to help, however, there is a boy that needs every bit of aid he can receive, and now that you are no longer amongst the living, I fear the unjust fate he faces has become nearly inescapable for him.”

Akira snorts softly, “And what _exactly_ do you think I can do about that?  I'm not some sort of miracle worker, and as you said earlier I'm _dead_.”

The man behind the desk grinned, smile stretching from ear to ear in an unnerving way, “That may be so,” the man said, “however, this is the Velvet Room.” gesturing to their foggy surroundings the stranger continues, “and it exists in the realm between the conscious and unconscious, and on a more relevant note, you were fated to be a resident of this room when you were alive, as such, you are still entitled to access the Velvet Room.  Indeed, you are in a unique position to become a Resident.”

Akira stares at the old man in silence, waiting for the punchline.  But apparently there isn't one, because several minutes later Akira can't help but sigh, “Why does that sound capitalized?  And why would I even want to live here? Or, I guess, ‘exist here’ would be more accurate.”

Hooked nose chuckles under his breath, and in that instant, Akira feels an unreasonable fury flicker down his spine, his hands balling into fists at his sides as fingernails dig into his palms and he wants nothing more than to take out his rage on this frail looking old man because- he is dead, and this stranger is telling him he cant move on, can't go to the afterlife or join the cycle of rebirth or what the fuck ever-

“My apologies Akira,” voice gone soft the stranger watches him with gimlet eyes, “it seems I have forgotten once again how different humans can be… you do not need to become a Resident here, it is not required of you, and I will not force you.  However your life has ended too soon, and your fate has been unraveled. Your premature death has led to complications you are unaware of. While I know nothing of what fate had planned for you, I know your choices would have impacted a great many people, perhaps the world.  But now that death has claimed you too early, there is no place for you in the afterlife at this moment, as you have fallen from the palms of fate itself.” Shaking his head with a soft sigh, the stranger continues even as Akira comes to feel like the ground is disappearing from beneath his feet.  “As such, you are left with two choices. You can wait here, until there comes a time where you can be admitted into the afterlife, or you can choose to become a Resident of the Velvet Room for as long as you desire, and in doing so, provide aid and guidance to those seeking to change their fates. The choice is yours.”


	2. Binding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, I love the nights where I can churn out a thousand words in one go without stopping. This chapter decided it wanted to sneak up and nom on my brain until it was finished.
> 
> Anyways, theres a lot of dialouge in this chapter- hopefully you all still enjoy, though Igor broke character a bit near the end, but he cant be a cryptid all the time no matter how hard he tries.

He can feel it, like the whisper if a breath in his hair, a quiet flutter of a breeze that gives way to an echoing silence as his gaze meets a pair of beady black eyes.

The stranger watches him in silence, unmoving, like an eerie stone statue, his last words echoing in Akiras mind.

Two choices.

‘A lifetime of infinite possibilities’, and in the end, Akira is left with only two.

Is it really even a choice at this point?  

On one hand, he is stuck waiting until his chance to move on occurs  _ (where would he be waiting?  What would he be doing? If he chose to wait, would his surroundings dissolve into nothingness, leaving only a void for him to inhabit?  Would he be aware the whole time, as seconds and minutes and hours tick by, or would his conscious fade into nothing-?). _

His other option isn't much better, stuck helping strangers shape their fate?  Isn't that like- like playing god in a way?  _ What if he makes a mistake?  What if he leads them down the wrong path?  He says the wrong thing and-? _

And what he says, or whatever ‘aid’ he gives them ends with them making the wrong decisions, or ( _ potentially)  _ their death?

_ No.  No he won't be responsible for that- he couldn't even  _ **_live_ ** _ his own life the way he wanted too- why should the dead affect the living?  What reason would be good enough to even  _ **_contemplate_ ** _ such a thing? _

“No.” It slips from his tongue like a water droplet from a leaf- quiet during its fall, ripples at its impact and-

Hooked nose contemplates him silently, closing his eyes briefly.

“Do you fear taking someone's choices from them like yours were taken from you Akira?  That is not what I am-”

“That might not be what you're asking me to do, but it’s what you've done to me!  Two choices! Only two for me to choose from and neither options are ones I made for myself! If you even think that listing out someones options like some sort of pop quiz will help them live a successful life, then you clearly haven't actually experienced life!  It’s as harsh and cruel as it is unpredictable, but there are never only two choices, so no, if I am going to choose what I want to do from here, it will be my own choice. So put your goddamn thinking-cap on and take a good look at reality-”

There's a raging inferno of rage in his chest now- it's absurd how quickly it flared to life, and yet he means everything he said.  It's never just live or die- you can exist too. Life means struggling against chaos and finding your own happiness. Death is the end yes, but sometimes it can also be a relief, a sacrifice, or even a defiance.  And sometimes, sometimes you can just exist- remaining constant, and while others could say it meant you stopped moving forward, what they forgot was that existing also meant that you hadn't given up, and that was its own form of strength- the resolve to remain, even if you didn't have the strength to move forward immediately, everyone could find their own stride eventually.

Life wasn't just rushing forward or falling back, sometimes it was just standing still until you found the strength or motivation to move forward.

The stranger coughed quietly, interrupting him and before Akira could snarl out him-  _ he refused to be ignored this time- _ “Akira,” and the mans tone has shifted gone quiet instead of inquisitive and persistent, “If you truly don't wish to, I cannot  _ force _ you to do anything, and even if I could, I would not wish to.  I gave you those options because it is all  _ I _ can do for you, I may be the Proprietor of the Velvet Room in all of its variations, and knowledgeable of its secrets, but I am not all powerful.  I am asking for your help, the Velvet Room only takes form when times of great strife are on the horizon. It existed before your death as well- though it took a different form.  The appearance of the room depends on a person's view of themselves and the world around them. Your Velvet Room was a prison- shaped by the way you saw the world and the way you see yourself within it- the owner of this Velvet Room is in a state worse than your previous mentality.  Akira, we are at the center of a  _ maze _ .

A confusing series of tunnels with dead ends, looping hallways and no stars to guide us.  The owner of this Velvet Room has, in all likelihood resolved that they will never be able to be free, and that they will never receive any form of aid.  I don't know what trials they may face, only that their greatest trial is still approaching, but their outlook on their life is currently poor, and as you have pointed out- I do not know humans, and while things have gone alright in the past, I feel the others who previously provided aid to the rooms owner will not provide anywhere near as much aid as is necessary.  Please, Akira, any aid you can provide to the owner of this Velvet Room would be invaluable. If- if you decide that you don't wish to help any others afterwards, than so be it, but please, I fear this person's life has been riddled with even more trials than your own, and they need all the help they can get- they don't need a parent or an authority figure who tells them what to do, just someone they can turn to.  They just need… a friend.”

Akira’s mind stilled- the anger that had siffused him had slowly trickled to nothingness in the wake of the strangers speech.  He couldn't believe he was even thinking of it but- maybe he could do this. If a friend was all that was needed- Akira could try for this person (whoever they were).  Friends helped each other- they were supposed to provide a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen with but they weren't meant to control each other's lives.

He could do that.

“...Just this one- no one else after them unless I ask to help.”

All at once, the strangers form went lax in relief, eyes closing briefly before black eyes opened once more and met Akiras own gaze.

“Very well, Akira Kurusu, you have been asked to provide as much help and guidance as you can to the owner of the Velvet Room we currently exist in- to be their friend and ally as long as they should need you.  And afterwards, once they have found their way and require your aid no longer, you will not be asked to help another, only should you ask to aid another owner shall you remain a resident of the Velvet Room, do you accept this contract?”

No going back then, hopefully everything would be alright.

“...Yes, I accept this contract”


End file.
